Gender and leadership in the NPQH: an opportunity lost?

Abstract

This article examines the implementation of the TTA' National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH) with a group of trial candidates, focusing particularly on gender differences within the group during the initial needs assessment process. The reasons for the apparent under-achievement and poor self-assessment demonstrated by many women candidates are examined within the context of effective school leadership. The study explores the impact of structural organisation and culture on these apparent inequities in leadership performance and raises questions about the strategies adopted to assess capability for leadership and the model on which these strategies are based.